


Hershey's Kisses

by issiefrancis



Series: Life Isn't Pretty [1]
Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Menstruation, abby and patty are hardly relevant, but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:43:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/issiefrancis/pseuds/issiefrancis
Summary: It's that time of the month for Holtzmann. PURE FLUFF.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promised myself I wouldn't write Holtzbert period fluff but I lied. Enjoy! PS I borrowed the Hershey's Kisses headcanon from someone else lol.

Erin is worried about her girlfriend. There's no music floating down the stairs, there's been several large poofs, and when she went to ask Holtzmann for help with some equations, she got shouted out of the lab and followed by several dry-erase markers. The last one isn't so unusual – when Holtzmann is deep in work, she hates being interrupted, but she usually comes down once she's done with her Very Important Project for kisses and apologies. 

It's been four hours, and no apology, and Holtzmann hasn't eaten anything either, even though it's well into the afternoon. 

"I'm going home," Holtzmann says (weird). She's quiet (weird) and taking the stairs, not the firepole (weirdest of all). 

"Bye, Holtzy!" Patty waves from the couch she's working on. Erin, still a little stung by her treatment earlier, doesn't look up. 

After the door slams a little harder than necessary, Abby sits down on the edge of Erin's desk. "Wow, Erin, it's three thirty. Shouldn't you be heading home?" 

"Um, what?" Erin puts down her pencil and looks up. She looks pointedly at the window, where the sun is shining.

"Shouldn't you be heading home?" Abby waggles her eyebrows. 

"No…?" It's obvious that Abby has an agenda. "Can you just spit it out, Abby, I'm trying to work."

Instead of acquiescing, Abby asks, "Did Holtzmann throw things at you this morning?" 

"Uh, yes. Do I have a bruise?" Erin twists unnecessarily to look at her arm. 

"Okay, Erin. You’re very sweet but utterly oblivious," Abby smirks at Erin, then gets up. "It's that time of the month." 

Erin winces. She always forgets that Abby's known Holtzmann for years longer than she has. "Thanks, Abs. I'll see you later." 

"Take care of our girl, Er." Abby waves her out cheerily. 

On the way to Holtzmann's apartment, she stops at the nearest store and picks up some supplies: Hershey's Kisses, her girlfriend's favourite, and a general supply of junk food and painkillers. 

She knocks on the front door and calls out. When there's no response, she yells louder that it's her and to let her in goddamnit. Holtzmann doesn't respond. Erin unlocks the door with her own key and goes inside. She's not in her room, the bathroom, the kitchen, or the living room. She's not there at all. _ Where is she? _ Erin huffs, thinks of the melting ice-cream in her bag, and heads for her own place and the freezer there.

When she gets back, the shopping bags are cutting into her fingers, and she's more than a little grumpy. She's worried about Holtzmann, she's got a headache, and she's pretty sure she's not far off her own period too. 

She dumps her shopping bags in the kitchen, only putting away the ice cream, and goes to lie down with her equations for a while. 

"Jesus!" Holtzmann jumps when Erin opens the door to her bedroom. She's curled up on Erin's side of the bed with the cord of a heating pad sneaking out from under the covers. Erin's annoyance disappears, her heart melting. Holtzmann's hair is down from its signature 'do, and her make-up is smudged down her cheeks in a pattern that looks like she's been crying. 

"What's up, Holtzy?" 

Holtzmann just huffs, obviously grumpy but a little guilty about being caught in the act of wallowing at her girlfriend's house. "Nothing, I'm fine." 

Erin smiles ironically and sits down beside her, brushing her hair off her forehead. "Okay." She reaches over with her other hand and gently starts rubbing her girlfriend's back. 

Despite herself, Holtzmann relaxes a little. "It's unfair that you're psychic, too," she mutters. 

"Abby told me. I'm oblivious. Move over." Erin crawls into bed alongside her and spoons her girlfriend, keeping a gentle pressure on her back with her fingers the whole time. 

"Trust Abby," Holtzmann grumps, but the venom is purely for show. Erin chuckles into the back of her neck and moves to rubbing her stomach. Familiar with her girlfriend's body at this point, she can actually feel the bloating. Holtzmann really got the biological short end of the stick. 

"I got you some stuff from the store," Erin says, moving up to massage Holtzmann's shoulders, which are bunched up and tense. "Ice-cream, Pringles, painkillers." 

Holtzmann groans and suddenly rolls over, clinging to Erin's neck and burying her face in her shoulder. "I love you. I want to die, but I love you." 

"I know." Erin holds her girlfriend close and kisses her forehead. "Is it bad?" 

"It's like I'm being possessed by a ghost that was killed by multiple stab wounds to the stomach. Oh, and my head hurts."

"Oh, baby." Erin looks even more concerned. "How can I help?" 

Holtzmann buries her face in Erin's shoulder. "Cuddle me. Please." Erin obliges, tucking the heating pad in between them and rubbing Holtzmann's temples in the same way that she does when she has sensory overload. She moans in gratitude. "Sorry I'm such a drag," she says. 

"You're fine," Erin chuckles. "We've all been there." 

They fall into silence as Erin continues to massage Holtzmann, but she's curious about something. Purely scientifically, of course. "Hey, Holtz?"

"Mmm?" Holtzmann is lying on her front now, with her hands pressed up into her stomach and her face scrunched up.

"What did Abby do for you when you got like this?" 

"Stayed away, mainly," Holtzmann jokes, turning her face towards Erin. "Nah. She used to bring me Hershey's Kisses, and stop me inventing because I would always fuck something up and cry about it." 

Erin hums in sympathy and then sits up. "Well, I'll get the Hershey's Kisses. And you can tell me about your brilliant inventions. Or sleep. Whatever you like." 

Holtzmann blows her a half-hearted kiss as she leaves the room. 


	2. Oops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for blood mention I guess? Obviously y'all know it's about periods haha.

Erin brings back the ice cream, two mugs of tea, painkillers, crackers, and, of course, the Hershey's Kisses. She puts an arm around Holtzmann and pops two painkillers into her palm, handing her the tea as she does. "They'll help you relax a little bit so maybe you can sleep," she says, kissing Holtzmann's forehead. 

And suddenly Holtzmann's hand clenches shut and she turns her face into Erin's shoulder and starts absolutely bawling. Unused to an emotional Holtz, Erin pats her back and kisses her forehead again.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"No one-" She’s gulping in between words, "-has ever looked after me before." 

Erin wraps her arms tighter around her girlfriend and rocks them gently back and forwards. "I'll always be here, Holtzy. C'mon, deep breaths." Holtzmann's breaths shudder in and out, finally settling into a little more normal rhythm. Ever the concerned girlfriend, Erin pulls back a teeny bit to look Holtzmann in the eye and says, "How can I make you feel better?"

Holtzmann just shrugs, regaining a tiny bit of her usual bluster. "There isn't any better. The second day is worse. But I'll be fine after that." 

Erin nods understandingly. "Take your painkillers, baby. We can watch a movie? What do you wanna do?" 

"I want to die," Holtzmann pouts. Erin rolls her eyes and kisses her forehead. "Fine. Movie." 

Erin puts on  _ Dirty Dancing _ and pulls Holtzmann against her. She kneads her shoulders and back until she feels her girlfriend sag sleepily against her and holds her as she falls asleep. 

Erin slips off to sleep too, lulled by the deep breaths against her stomach. 

***

"Oh, shit." Holtzmann shakes Erin awake. She had woken to a heavy feeling in her stomach and a nasty suspicion that she hadn't gone heavy-duty enough before falling asleep. Looking down, she can see that she's right. There's blood on her sweatpants (well, Erin's sweatpants), on the sheets, and worst of all, Erin's skirt. 

Erin rubs a hand across her face and blinks up at her girlfriend. "What?" 

"I, uh-" Holtzmann points down, flushing, and Erin glances in that direction. 

"Oh,  _ shit. _ " Instantly waking up, Erin runs a hand through her hair, thinking through the practicalities of the situation. "It's fine, don't worry," she adds, seeing the stress playing on Holtzmann's face. "Go get changed, I'll sort the sheets." 

"I'm sorry. Your skirt-" Holtzmann stands up and immediately goes pale. She sways in place for a second, grabbing the dresser. Erin automatically reaches for her, offering a steadying hand. "I'm good. Just a dizzy moment." She heads gingerly for the bathroom. 

"There's pads in the top left drawer," Erin calls out, getting up to strip the bed. 

"Thanks."

She fills up the laundry basket, changes out of her skirt, and then knocks on the bathroom door. "Holtz? Can I have your - well, my - sweats?" 

No response, but a low groan. 

"Holtz? I'm coming in." The first thing she sees is said sweatpants, crumpled up on the ground. The second is her girlfriend, sitting atop the toilet, leaning her head in her hands. She looks smaller than Erin's ever seen her. "Can I help?"

"Can you just- pants?" Holtzmann points at the door and then at her bare legs and Erin picks up the laundry and nods. She pulls out Holtzmann's spare underwear from her drawer, along with a pair of sweatpants and tosses both inside the bathroom without looking in again. 

Jesus. At least they've reached a new level in their relationship, Erin reflects as she remakes the bed. She's just putting on the clean pillowcases (because mismatching pillowcases would have set her teeth on edge) when Holtzmann emerges. Wordlessly, she wraps her arms around Erin and buries her face in her shoulder. 

Struggling for words, Erin murmurs, "It's okay, Holtz. Still feeling crappy?" 

Holtzmann shrugs. "I should go home." She won't meet Erin's eyes. She's obviously embarrassed.

Erin shakes her head. "Absolutely not. It's  _ fine _ , we're dating, life isn't pretty. God knows I've leaked all over this bed before." 

Holtzmann relaxes a little. "Gross," she says, crinkling her nose cheekily. Erin mock-swats at her arm, careful not to actually touch her.

"Do you mind if I go put on this laundry before we get back to cuddling?" Erin smiles gently.

"Shall I do it?" Holtzmann offers. 

"Babe, how bad are your cramps?" Erin arches an eyebrow.

"Awful," Holtzmann admits. "I just feel bad about-"

"It's fine! You can pay me back at a later date," Erin winks. "Take some more painkillers." 

Holtzmann immediately buries herself under the covers. Erin takes the laundry down to the basement and puts it on cold wash. 

Erin finds Holtzmann star-fished on the queen bed. "Move over," she says, nudging her hand.

"Noooo," Holtzmann protests, bringing both hands down to press against her abdomen and making puppy-dog eyes. 

"Fine." Erin perches on the bed. They stay like that for a few minutes, until Erin finally relents. "You want some alone time, don't you?"

"I'm sorry." Holtzmann has the prescience to look a little guilty. 

"I get it," Erin says, getting up. She feels strangely rejected, but they're adults. They can have some apart time. "I'll make some dinner, come get some when you're ready, okay?" She knows this isn't about her. It's just because Holtzmann is moody, and sore, and embarrassed, and it's not personal. 

She chops the vegetables a little more aggressively than necessary, but she talks herself down. It's ridiculous to be upset that Holtzmann wants to have a bit of alone time, especially at this time of the month. She's okay, she's just stressed and worried and taking it out on the easiest target. By the time the stirfry is done, she feels better. She goes to check on Holtzmann, and when she sees that she's not asleep, she knocks softly on the doorframe. "I made a stirfry, babe. Do you want to eat in bed or in the lounge?"

Holtzmann smiles widely at her. "Lounge is good. I'll be there in a sec." 

Erin dishes it up and hands the bowl to Holtzmann. 

They eat in silence together, Holtzmann touching her feet to Erin's leg. "Thank you," she says once she's finished. 

"Oh," Erin is surprised. They got past the niceties of their relationship a while ago now. "That's okay. I hope it was edible."

"No, I meant all this." Holtzmann gestures unashamedly at her abdomen. "This whole day has kind of been a shitshow. Sorry. And thanks for looking after me." 

"Jillian," Erin says, "It has been an absolute pleasure to look after you." Erin kisses her on the lips, smiling as she does so. "I love you." 

"I love you too, babe." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Critique welcomed!!! Love you all!


End file.
